South Park's Most Likable Character Is Based On A Real Person

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https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...211800406.html

Kristi Roe-Owen
Sun, November 2, 2025 at 1:18 PM PST

If there's one "South Park" character fans can't help but love, it's Leopold "Butters" Stotch (Matt Stone). With his almost infallible optimism, friendly demeanor, and spiky yellow tuft of hair, Butters is the one soul in all of South Park that rarely seems to lose his heart. First appearing as an unnamed background character but eventually evolving into one of the show's central characters, not to mention a fan favorite, Butters is the cartoon version of real-world "South Park" animation director and co-producer Eric Stough, who has been with "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone since the show's beginning.

The infamous pair first met Stough back in the college film department at the University of Colorado in Boulder when they first noticed his animation talent. They originally asked him to create the first "South Park" short "The Spirit of Christmas," an animation that would ultimately spawn the long-running series. But like his animated counterpart, the real Butters the Animator was nervous at the thought of making an adult animation, telling them he wanted to make cuter, Disney-style films with talking animals.

Although he missed the first opportunity, Stough eventually got on board, a decision that would lead to his decades-long career with the series along with his nickname, a silly evolution of "Buddy." Of Stough's dedication, "South Park" supervising producer Frank Agnone told the University of Colorado alumni mag, the Coloradan, "Eric's long-standing relationship with Matt and Trey is beyond valuable on a day-to-day basis. He is as much a part of 'South Park' as Matt and Trey are."